Dungans are a very interesting people. They number around 200k and are actually Mandarin speaking Han Chinese muslims from Gansu and mostly Shaanxi that exiled themselves to the Russian empire in the 19th century after the failed Hui rebellions.
The Muslim population of Shaanxi province then was early 10% of the total population, but the ethnic reprisals after their defeat saw their proportion of the population reduced, even a century and a half later to a mere 0.4%. Every Muslim community on the left bank of the yellow river was almost entirely wiped out.
What is interesting about Dungans is that these are the most un-Chinese like Chinese in existence with extremely high degrees of religious observance, high fertility and zero interest in assimilation of any kind in Kazakhstan despite sharing a faith. Complete social separatists with more traditionalist oriented family culture.
The Muslim population of Shaanxi province then was early 10% of the total population, but the ethnic reprisals after their defeat saw their proportion of the population reduced, even a century and a half later to a mere 0.4%. Every Muslim community on the left bank of the yellow river was almost entirely wiped out.
What is interesting about Dungans is that these are the most un-Chinese like Chinese in existence with extremely high degrees of religious observance, high fertility and zero interest in assimilation of any kind in Kazakhstan despite sharing a faith. Complete social separatists with more traditionalist oriented family culture.
